I have tried to explain to my personal friends—they have asked me about it; how could a person name so many people as she did? I can only say that Barbara was in a position where she had access to those records. It was part of her duty to handle records of the membership. Therefore, she would be required to know those things.
People have asked me, “Well, do you know the same people that she knew?” And I have had to answer, “I certainly knew most of those people.”
But I am not in a position where I could say that, of my own knowledge, I knew those persons as members of the Communist Party.
I knew practically all of those persons in some capacity or another, but in very few instances is it possible for me to say, of my own knowledge, that I knew such and such a person to be a member of the Communist Party.
And that was a very important distinction for me to make.
But I must say that it is my considered judgment that Barbara Hartle gave very valid and very accurate information.
Mr. Velde. I certainly thank you for that, Mr. Dennett. That was my impression, too. Not being in a position to know as much about it as either of you I did get the impression that she told a very valid story.
Mr. Dennett. I am sure she was accurate.
Mr. Velde. I appreciate your verification of her story as to the extent of the Communist Party in this area.
Another thing I would like to get cleared up before we go further, Mr. Counsel and Mr. Chairman, is a matter of your identification of Harry Lundeberg as having attended fraction meetings. I think you probably are as anxious to get that cleared up as we are. We know that Mr. Lundeberg has been a very faithful anti-Communist for a long time.